Transcript Wheat Ridge
Jefferson County, Colorado • Volume 29, Issue 48
May 23, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourwheatridgenews.com
Funding next step for beltway CDOT to weigh funding requests, Golden plan By Glenn Wallace
gwallace@ourcoloradonews.com
Gov. John Hickenlooper – surrounded by mental health advocates and legislators – signs SB13-266 and HB13-1296 into law on May 16. SB13-266 creates a coordinated behavioral health crisis response and HB13-1296 creates the civil commitment statute review task force. Photos by Clarke Reader
Hickenlooper signs mental health bills Jefferson Center for Mental Health hosts signing By Clarke Reader
creader@ourcoloradonews. com The mood was celebratory at the Jefferson Center for Mental Health on May 16 as Gov. John Hickenlooper signed two mental health bills into law. “The Jefferson Center is proud to host the signing for these bills,” said Harriet Hall, Center president and chief executive officer. “This is place where we truly believe that recovery is possible and treatment works.” The governor signed SB13266 — Coordinated Behavioral Health Crisis Response — and HB13-1296 — Civil Commitments Task Force — with sponsors Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D-Arvada), Rep. Dave Young (D-Greeley) and Sen. Jeanne Nicholson (DBlackhawk) on hand as well. “Almost anyone you talk to today has a story about men-
Rep. Tracy Kraft-Tharp (D-Arvada) speaks at the Jefferson Center for Mental Health on May 16 before Gov. John Hickenlooper signed SB13-266 and HB13-1296 into law. Kraft-Tharp sponsored both bills. tal health issues or is connected to someone who has dealt with them,” Hickenlooper said. “These bills are the first
‘I’m so glad leaders were able to come together to set up the crisis system, and we’ll definitely make good use of it.’ Lorraine Bowen POSTAL ADDRESS
step to building a system that will be able to help everyone who needs it.” All three sponsors spoke, sharing stories about the hard work that went into getting these bills passed, and their own experiences trying to help those with mental health issues. “I am honored to have been the prime sponsor for the crisis response bill in the senate,” said Nicholson. “We finally have the funding we’ve waited for years and years.” Mental health groups and advocates from Jeffco and surrounding counties were all present to see the two bills signed, since they will benefit mental health facilities statewide. “There’s been a lot of work put into the building of a crisis system that doesn’t have boundaries,” Hall said. “It’s a
great thing for the state, and now we have a lot more work to do to carry it out.” Lorraine Bowen, who sits on the Jefferson Center board of directors, was at the signing with her son, David, a mental health consumer. “I’m so glad leaders were able to come together to set up the crisis system, and we’ll definitely make good use of it,” Lorraine said. “Cooperation is a key part of this, since almost everyone has been touched by the issue.” David said that finding new sources of income to help people is extremely important, especially for an issue like this. “It’s really good for the community,” he said. “It gives people a chance to get help when its necessary.”
Western Beltway Plan watchers have had a lot to look over this month with a major Colorado Department of Transportation agreement with the city of Golden, and state transportation funding is up for grabs. On May 9, the city of Golden ended more than 20 years of contention with CDOT by agreeing to a shared development vision for the U.S. Highway 6 and State Highway 93 corridor. That section of roadway was initially studied by CDOT as one of the last links in the 470 beltway design. Initial CDOT plans envisioned the corridor as being six lanes across, with an elevated freeway and speed limits as high as 70 mph. After years of negotiations, the leaderships of CDOT and Golden reached a joint agreement. The pact would keep speed limits within their current range of 45-55 mph, include better sound mitigation, and limit the corridor to four lanes until traffic reaches volume levels of at least 70,000 vehicles a day. The agreement does not address the broader issue of completing a regional beltway link. John Putnam, special counsel to the city of Golden, said he would anticipate CDOT officials signing the agreement in “months, but not many months.” He cautioned city officials that the agreement could be tossed out by future CDOT or Golden city councils. “The ultimate protection for the city is to put some of those items in place in plans and in concrete,” Putnam said. Golden has already taken two steps in that direction. The council approved $150,000 for preliminary design engineering on portions of the new plan. The city also applied for some of CDOT’s Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnership (RAMP) funding to help bring the agreed-upon plan into existence, beginning with improvements to the U.S. 6 and 19th Avenue intersection.
Beltway efforts
At the county level, meetings concerning the $750,000 Western Beltway study have continued. At the county’s May 14 meeting the three Jeffco commissioners talked with Western Beltway Study’s project manager Lee Kellar, who is with the firm Parsons Brinckerhoff. The beltway meeting included a review of initial RAMP applications, which contained requests for several sections of the planned beltway ramp. CDOT is scheduled to report back to Golden and Jeffco on May 31 about which projects had been narrowed down for final consideration of funding. The county meeting also included a report from public relations firm CRL Associates regarding outreach efforts with the Beltway continues on Page 20
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